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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28105017">Danganronpa: Dreams of an Infinite Journey</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylviaon/pseuds/Sylviaon'>Sylviaon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fangan, Fanganronpa, Gen, Murder Mystery, Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:56:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28105017</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylviaon/pseuds/Sylviaon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An OC fangan about a hiking trip, figuring out people based on their personalities, the stress of constant death, and some weird-ass bear shenanigans.</p><p>A group of 16 Ultimate high schoolers will need to navigate the trail and make an ever-increasing distance quota each day, while the threat of death and betrayal from within the group looms large. Here's hoping you can figure out who you're after before they find you...</p><p>Updates whenever, but hopefully that means often. I'm trying. If you enjoy it, leave a comment and I'll use them to write more. If you don't, then tell me what sucks and maybe I'll improve.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue 1 - This Colorful World of Ours</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This chapter includes a quick discussion of bugs in the middle. It can be safely skipped.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eight students are introduced to each other as colorful digital avatars and told to get to know each other. They hike to the peak of a mountain as they work to recover their memories...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter contains a quick discussion of bugs in the middle. This can be safely skipped.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>To say I woke up would be an understatement. To wake up is to resume your life after a rest. This was more like being born. It was as if I never existed until now, merely brought into this world as a new consciousness at this second.</p><p>Surely that wasn’t the case… but if not, why don’t I remember anything? My name, my personality, everything about me was missing. At least the gift of language appeared to be intact. </p><p>But even beyond my missing memories, I could tell that something else was wrong. I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet, but this wrongness could still be felt. It scratched and clawed at my brain, refusing to let me move on until I’d solved this first puzzle. After only a moment of thinking, I’d somehow intuited my answer. </p><p><em>The world I was in wasn’t real</em>. I wasn’t sure what tipped me off, but as soon as the idea crossed me, I knew it was correct. I knew this wasn’t my real body, my real life. </p><p>With the itch in my brain satisfied, I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was my hands. They were a bright, fiery crimson. They weren’t just stained red, they were purely and wholly red, through and through. This monochrome body I was in had a human shape, but was entirely featureless. My only distinguishing mark was my odd body color.</p><p>Looking around further, I noticed I was part of a circle of such bodies, except each had a different tone. There were seven others besides myself, and we ran the full gamut of the rainbow, including pink. Our colorful figures held a stark contrast to the flat, plain white ground we found ourselves upon. While this surreal world confirmed my initial intuition, it didn’t bring me any answers. </p><p>None of the other figures had moved once since I had watched them. Since nothing else appeared to be happening, I took this moment to more closely ponder my missing memories.</p><p>It was like I could almost see my past in my mind, just beneath the surface, but I couldn’t quite see it there. My whole life was on the tip of my tongue. I couldn’t come up with anything I didn’t know when I awoke. I couldn’t even think back to what was most likely just a few minutes ago, where I chose to be hooked up to this virtual reality.</p><p>Maybe it’s a side effect. As soon as someone unplugs me or however this thing ends, my mind will come rushing back, and then I can tell whoever’s running this program about the fatal bug of losing yourself.</p><p>It had only been a few minutes of thinking when finally I saw a body stir. The purple figure sat up and examined their own hands, much like I did, and then they saw me.</p><p>“What’s going on? Is this, like, a video game?” they spoke, turned towards me. It was an androgynous and distinctly robotic voice, like a text-to-speech software. Nothing about them could be distinguished from that voice.</p><p>“I… I can’t remember. This is definitely a fake world of some kind.” I replied. My own voice was identical to theirs, except pitch shifted down a bit, leaving a way to tell each other apart.</p><p>“Oh yeah, for sure… All I can remember is that this feeling of losing everything I’ve ever known is nothing new… I can say with almost certainty that I’ve forgotten everything like this before!” Despite the droning monotone of their voice, the excitement there was obvious. I guess they found it funny. </p><p>Our discussion began to rouse the others, who started to come to the same realizations that we did a moment earlier. </p><p>“This is quite odd, don’t you think? We’ve been placed in this incomprehensible world and we hardly have any memories to guide our path!” said the orange avatar. </p><p>“Of course we think this is odd! This is quite some world they’ve stuck us in.” the blue avatar replied. “It’s hardly anything to write home about. Just blank space...”  they mumbled. </p><p>“Who’s <em>they</em>?” the indigo avatar probed, leaning towards the blue character. “Do you remember something the rest of us are missing?”</p><p>Before the discussion could move further, a screeching noise cut the air, forcing us all to listen. I looked quickly to the center of the circle, and there it was. A new avatar had just appeared. </p><p>They looked the same as we did, that silhouette of a body shape, this time colored jet black. They appeared in the center of our circle, and began to turn their head around to look at us all. Despite none of us having eyes on our avatars, this glare was palpable.</p><p>“Alright, let’s get this thing on the road, yeah?” The voice, unlike ours, was a genuine human voice, which sounded like a 20 year old man trying to screech out the most annoying words we’d ever heard. </p><p>“What <em>thing</em> are we forcing upon the road?” Indigo asked.</p><p>“Aw, lighten up a little!” Black chided playfully. “It’s just a short VR experience! You all will be spending the next 24 hours in this world. I want you to get to know your fellow classmates <em>really</em> well, alright? Explore this place and get to know everyone in here! You should be able to pick ‘em out of a lineup!”</p><p>“Oh, but I can already pick anyone here out of a lineup! We all have such distinct colors!” Purple exclaimed with a lilt in their voice. “Like, I could always call you out, ‘cause you’re bright red!” They said, pointing at me.</p><p>“Well of course you can <em>now</em>.” Black replied, his tone quickly becoming exasperated. “I want you to get to know everyone so well you could figure ‘em out just by the way they talk!” He paused and looked at all of us again. “Do it like your life depends on it.”</p><p>I was fairly sure what he just said was hyperbolic, but everything about how he said it unnerved me. </p><p>“Oh, but remember that you guys can’t share any personally identifying information. It’s in the Terms of Service. You read that thing, right?” Black launched into a loud cackle before continuing. “Besides, that would take all the fun out of the game! Keep the private information to yourself and I won’t have to… <em>ban</em> you.” The chilling tone returned.</p><p>If there had to be a rule about keeping our details private, then that only further supported my theory that this memory loss was an unintended bug of the digital plane. It didn’t sound like anyone recalled anything that would break that rule, at any rate.</p><p>"So what's the object of this game?" Indigo asked. "Do I want the group to be able to pick me out, or do I not?"</p><p>"I'll leave that to you! You have free rein in this world to make as many bad choices as you'd like! How liberating is that?!" Black replied.</p><p>"That-" Indigo stood motionless. If they had eyes, I was almost certain they would be delivering a death glare.</p><p>"Not to derail the conversation, but what did you mean 'explore this place?' There's not exactly a lot to see…" Yellow broke the silence.</p><p>"Aren't you perceptive! I'd almost forgotten. How silly of me!" Black said.</p><p>Suddenly, the whole world changed before my eyes. Grass grew beneath my feet, covering the white plane beneath. The sun entered the sky above our heads, clouds soared to cover the now-blue sky, and a light breeze welcomed our entrance into a new world. Finally, a mountain erupted from the ground, pushing aside the newfound dirt and grassy hills to create a giant nest of crags, leading to a treacherous precipice. Whoever was running this program had a good understanding of theatrics.</p><p>"You kids see that mountain, right? If you'd like to do a Warm-Up Exercise, go ahead and try to get to the summit before time runs out. I'll give you something really special if you do! ...Oh, but it's not as important as understanding everyone here. Understanding is the first step to friendship, and <em>friendship</em> is the first step to <em>loooove!~</em>" With those final strange words, the black avatar disappeared entirely.</p><p>"Warm-Up Exercise, hm? How intriguing… Does anyone care to begin climbing with me?" Orange asked.</p><p>"I'll come along. I don't see anything else to do, y'know?" Yellow agreed, standing up and stepping closer to the mountain.</p><p>"I just want to get the prize!" said Purple, breaking the circle to join Yellow and Orange.</p><p>"I've got some processing to do, I think… It's impressive you guys are ready to go on such a hike just after losing your memories." Indigo said, running their fingers through the grass.</p><p>"Yeah! I also have to- uh. Process. It's just so confusing, y'know?" said Green.</p><p>"I'll stay back as well… I think I'm close to remembering…" said Pink, who pulled their knees close to themselves.</p><p>"Then I'll be here for now to talk with these people, and catch up later to meet all of you. I won't lose this game!" Blue yelled. "So, uh, how are you all doing?…" they mumbled. No one replied.</p><p>I had already stood to my feet. "I guess I'll join the climbing group. We should get going if we want to climb <em>that</em> in 24 hours."</p><p>I was reeling from the memory loss as well, but maybe some fresh air could jog my mind. Well, as fresh as virtual air could get, I guess.</p><p>With the groups set, we began to head towards the mountain. </p><p>"This should be a fun world to explore. It's so beautiful!" Yellow began the conversation as we walked towards the base of the mountain.</p><p>"Yes, it's quite extravagant, is it not? That man in black has quite a flair for the dramatic." Orange replied.</p><p>"If this is a video game, it has to be AAA. I mean, that effect has to cost a lot to program…" Purple added.</p><p>The three must have had good rapport, because the idle banter continued for quite a while as we drew closer to the beginning of the climb. I was mostly just listening to them talk, until…</p><p>"Hey, Red, are you alright? Are you, uh, 'processing'? You've hardly been talking at all." Purple asked, using air quotes.</p><p>"If they are, then leave them be and let them process. You don't have to make fun of that." Orange interjected. Orange had held a somewhat haughty manner up until now, so I didn’t expect them to come to my defense.</p><p>"Oh, no, I'm alright. Just trying to listen." I replied. </p><p>"Well, feel free to talk to us! We're just trying to have some fun on our way." said Purple.</p><p>"Hm, okay…" I tried to get into the spirit and think of something to talk about. "Have you noticed how lifeless this place is? Like, you'd expect there to be some simulated animals, or at least some bugs crawling around here, but there's nothing but us and the ground."</p><p>"That's probably a good thing! We'd probably be told we have to get to know all the mountain lions if there were any." Purple said with a laugh.</p><p>Yellow laughed along. "Yeah, but still. It would be nice to see something here to brighten the scenery."</p><p>"I… cannot agree. I don't believe there's any nature hikes that I'd enjoy <em>more</em> with the presence of insects." Orange said, looking at the grass.</p><p>"Not even, like, a butterfly or something?" I asked. I was fairly sure I liked butterflies.</p><p>"Well- I assumed you meant, like, mosquitoes. Butterflies aren't <em>insects</em>, they're just fun." Orange reasoned.</p><p>Our chattering went on for a bit longer until we had reached the mountain. Here, the warm, gentle breeze of the approaching walk had become a harsh wind, and the temperature rapidly turned brisk. Crossing over this threshold immediately took away my capacity for talking as we began the climb.</p><p>For a while, it was just an uphill hike, trying to defend ourselves against the biting gale, but as we gradually drew closer to the top, it became a nearly vertical path, and finally we had to grip the rock and climb.</p><p>Trying to work up the will to start, I reminded myself that this world wasn't real. I couldn't be hurt. Even if I could, the wall in front of me had ample crevices to use to climb it. </p><p>I looked back at my companions. Yellow had their hands on the rock, ready to climb up. Purple was staring at us, their hands quivering slightly. Orange was looking down, far below our feet, to the idyllic piedmont beneath us. I couldn't help but follow their gaze. The other four avatars could be seen there, still seated in a circle. </p><p>"Didn't Blue say they would catch up with us?" Orange asked me.</p><p>"Yeah, I thought so. Maybe they changed their mind?" I wasn't feeling up to offer more insight. All I could think about was how warm they must be down there.</p><p>Finally, I turned away from the edge and back towards the rock. I put my feet up onto the lowest footholds and tried to focus my mind away from what I was doing.</p><p><em>This isn't real.</em> Hand to the left. <em>I have nothing to worry about.</em> Other hand up.<em> I won't fall.</em> Kick my leg up to the next ledge.<em> ...Was I afraid of heights?</em> Move free leg into cranny. <em>I'm recovering memories already.</em> Hand up. <em>At least, as much as a phobia is a memory.</em> Next hand. <em>It's odd that my fingers feel so nimble when it's so cold out.</em> Up. <em>Everyone seems pretty nice. And I think I could pick them all out. Purple is like, a funny one? And Yellow is a nice one. And Orange is another nice one, but talks fancy. </em></p><p>Climbing left my conscious mind as I distracted myself. Hours might have passed beneath my focus. Was I a meditator in real life?</p><p>I wasn't keeping track of when it happened, but finally my hands gripped the end of the wall. With one final push, I slid over it and stood to my feet. Yellow beat me to the top of this ledge, but Purple and Orange were a fair bit behind. </p><p>Despite all my exertion, my muscles hardly ached. I guess the programmers made it hard to get worn out.</p><p>The climb itself was difficult, to be sure, but it was over now. I looked up. I was close to that summit… and that prize. I didn't think I was normally the competitive type, but now that I was so close, the rush was undeniable. </p><p>The Warm-Up Prize wasn't exclusive, right? I don't think Black said anything about only one person getting the prize… it wouldn't be a big deal if I made sure I got there before time ran out. I think.</p><p>I started to run, passing the final stretch at a breakneck pace. I followed the trail up the mountain as the chill in the air continued to slice at my… skin? </p><p>Letting my adrenaline push me further, I finally hit the top. I pumped my fist in overwhelming elation!</p><p>…</p><p>...And then I waited. What was the prize? My rush of excitement tapered off.</p><p>I felt a grip on my shoulder and I flinched. I swiveled around and was face-to-face with Black. </p><p>"You win! You got the Warm-Up Prize!" The screeching voice declared.</p><p>"What's the prize?" I asked.</p><p>"Uh… there's been difficulties in shipping. Your prize might be delayed." Black laughed, a cackle that seemed tailored to piss me off.</p><p>“So is there no prize?” I felt like I had already caught on to his trick.</p><p>“You’ll just have to wait and see! God, you kids all need some kind of delivery tracker these days! When I was a cub, my x-ray glasses wouldn’t come in the mail for four to six weeks and I made it just fine!”</p><p>… “What?”</p><p>The avatar fizzled out of view. An awesome waste of my time. </p><p>I looked beneath my position and noticed that Blue had left their position in the circle. Were they working towards us? I couldn’t see them,</p><p>With no stimulus, my mind began to wander a bit, and I let it. I had come on this journey predominantly to get my mind running and dig up my past, but I still had nothing. Despite how close I felt to the answer, I finally had to realize that I wouldn’t be able to reach it no matter how hard I pushed my mind.</p><p>The other three caught up to me at some point. </p><p>“Where the hell were you off to so fast, Red?” Purple asked me, with a forceful and serious tone. </p><p>“It was kinda rude to just ditch like that… There’s plenty of time for all of us to make it.” Yellow chided.</p><p>“So, does this mean you’ve taken the Warm-Up Prize for yourself?” Orange changed the subject.</p><p>“I couldn’t take the Warm-Up Prize… Black told me some nonsense about shipping and x-ray glasses and disappeared without giving me anything. I never found out what it was.” I replied to Orange.</p><p>"So-" Purple began, before their words were cut. A searing pain filled my head, my body, everything around me. My vision began to waver, flicker, and melt away as the pain subsided.</p><p>As I opened my eyes once again, I finally remembered. </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Prologue 2: Life Returns to a Thoughtless Body</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kaoru Yokokawa, the Ultimate Dreamer, wakes up to meet their 15 new classmates on this unique hiking trip across a stunning nature reserve. The group begins to work down the trail as they get to know each other...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>To say I woke up would be an understatement. To wake up is to resume your life after a rest. I found no such solace as I sharply moved from one world to another.</p><p> </p><p>My memories felt hazy, but they were coming back to me. For the last… while, I had been stuck in a virtual world, with no memory at all. I could still pretty well remember everything that happened there. Now that I was out, I had a little more information.</p><p> </p><p>My name is Kaoru Yokokawa. I am the Ultimate Dreamer. I can slip into a fully lucid dream with ease, and my ability to recall those dreams is unmatched.</p><p> </p><p>...I think. The title felt right in my mind, but for someone who remembered my dreams so well, I couldn’t recall a single one. I thought I had remembered everything, but I now realized all I knew was my name and a hobby of mine. </p><p> </p><p>I began my new day by putting my fingers to my opposite palm and trying to push them through. It took me a moment more to remember that this was a reality check, to find out if I was dreaming at the moment. My palm held solid, proving to me that it was not. </p><p> </p><p>After these first few seconds of new consciousness, I noticed a dull pain in the back of my skull. It wasn’t a migraine... I could tell the pain was from a physical wound. As if someone had tried to smash my head in with a bat a few hours ago Fortunately, this pain seemed to be on it’s way out, and it wasn’t inhibiting my thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, I took in my surroundings. I was lying in the middle of a beautiful nature trail. Lush trees extended far above me, stretching out their limbs in stiff angles, reaching for the sun that shone brightly above the scene. Leaves of brown, gold, and red colors drifted to the ground with the rustling of the wind. Beside the beaten dirt path, small mushrooms and flora sprouted from the ground, looking kept, but not unnatural. Wherever I was, it was remarkably well maintained. </p><p> </p><p>Seven other bodies lay around me, forming a circle which was similar to the one I first awoke in. These, however, were real human bodies, not colored silhouettes. I hoped with all my heart they were merely unconscious. </p><p> </p><p>The words of the black avatar came floating back to me. “<em> I want you to get to know everyone so well you could figure ‘em out just by the way they talk!” </em>I didn’t consider it too unreasonable to assume that these seven were the other avatars that were in the virtual reality with me. </p><p> </p><p>Finally, I noticed a strange impression in the trail. It was about half the size of my foot, and was entirely circular. Looking further, I noticed there were more impressions like this, surrounding every body in the group. Huh.</p><p> </p><p>Before my mind could process any further, I heard a <em> snap </em> of twigs coming from beside the trail. Startled, I looked towards the noise. Leaves crackled closer and closer to me as something approached. With a bit of trepidation, I stood to my feet, unsure exactly how to react.</p><p> </p><p>Rolling out from the foliage was a small creature which stood about to my waist. It looked almost like a bear cub, if it weren’t for it’s strange color scheme, with a white right half and a stark black left half of its body. It would’ve seemed cute if it weren’t for the human-like grin of shit-eating proportions and glowing red eye affixed to only the black side of its face.</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Good morning, kids! Rise and shine for a new beautiful day with nature! </em> <b>”</b> The bear yelled, in that same shrill voice as the black avatar. It began to stomp hard on the ground, trying to be as loud as possible.</p><p> </p><p>“W-what the hell?” I let out. This situation was rapidly becoming more surreal. Looking around, I noticed that the rest of the people were starting to stir and awaken.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay kids, we actually have a <em>second group</em> coming to meet us! They’re on their way… but for now, why not introduce yourselves and break the ice! I know it’s <em>so</em> hard to make new friends, but as long as you get past that first awkward tension, you might find you have a lot in common!” The voice behind this strange creature sounded surprisingly genuine. It made me want to make some friends.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, but be careful not to share anything about your color. That would defeat the point of the game!” With that, the bear waddled back into the foliage, leaving us alone.</p><p> </p><p>For a moment, it was silent. We each exchanged glances. “So, uh, we’re definitely sharing our colors, right? I mean, I don’t even <em> remember </em>signing up for a game, and I seriously don’t trust this shit.” said someone dressed in a light, black robe-ish garb. </p><p> </p><p>“Aw, play along for just a minute and give us your name first! Even if it’s short like you are, at least it’ll be something to remember you by!” said a girl in a white, long sleeved jacket. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, you ass-” In a blur of speed, the first speaker ran towards the girl and drove a fist towards her, but she jumped back in time and avoided the wild strike!<br/>
<br/>
“My name is Yuuka Kotara, and you’ll have to be a lot sharper than that to hit me, Pipsqueak!” she exclaimed, pulling a flourishing pose. </p><p> </p><p>“Just piss off, okay?” The fighter looked down at the trail beneath them.</p><p> </p><p>“I- I was just kidding! I’m sorry…” Yuuka said in a genuine tone.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Nikou Toma. My mind says I’m the Ultimate Brawler…” Nikou looked like they wanted to say more, but simply closed their mouth and looked towards the sky.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, that reminds me!” Yuuka interjected. “I’m the Ultimate Fencer! Not like there’s any swords around to prove it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are we all Ultimates of some kind?” said one of the girls, in a quietly questioning voice that still managed to command some attention. I nodded my head towards her, and looked around the circle to find that everyone else was doing the same.<br/>
<br/>
“I see… My name is Chiasa Fukunaga. I’m the Ultimate Jeweler.” It showed, considering the myriad shining necklaces, rings, and other metal decor which adorned her. </p><p> </p><p>“Does anyone remember something more than their name and an Ultimate skill?” she pressed further. That was the question I had been trying to answer myself since I woke up. The answer, at least for now, was…</p><p> </p><p>“Not really.” I answered. Considering the silence from everyone else, it didn’t seem like there was anything to report from the others either.</p><p> </p><p>Once again, there was a tough silence. </p><p> </p><p>“Let’s keep introducing ourselves! I’m the Ultimate Tourist, Ethan Fuentes! I can’t wait to start seeing what this trail is all about.” said a boy in a white t-shirt, holding a satchel across his chest. “Okay, who’s next?” Noticing that no one was volunteering, he looked to the boy to his left.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Akikazu Okamura, the Ultimate Food Critic. Should you need my opinions, and I suspect that you will, then I will grant you my time.” he said.</p><p> </p><p>“We just met you. Feel free to hop off the high horse and join us plebs anytime.” Yuuka snarked at him.<br/>
<br/>
For a split second, a dreadful tension filled the air as I worried that she had angered him. Surprisingly, he instead began to chuckle, a genuine laugh that cooled my concern. “Alright, I’ll tone it down.” he conceded, speaking with a new, softer sound.</p><p> </p><p>Another of the girls who hadn’t spoken yet began. “My name is Mayoko Asano. I’m the Ultimate Trivia Genius. I was hoping my talent would be more… useful than that. But hey! At least I can tell you that this plant is called a rhododendron.” she said, lifting a leaf. “You can tell by the structure of the leaves. It’s long, with a pointed tip, but not serrated.”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“If it makes you feel better, my talent is pretty useless too. I mean, Food Critic isn’t too useful. It doesn’t mean I know how to cook or anything, y’know?” Akikazu said. </p><p> </p><p>To stop the return of the silence, I introduced myself next. “I’m Kaoru Yokokawa. I’m the Ultimate Dreamer.” Feeling like my introduction was a bit incomplete, I continued. “I’m not convinced my talent is useful either, so don’t worry about it, Mayoko.”<br/>
<br/>
“No, no, no! Those all do <em> something </em> . What does a trivia genius do?...” She looked despondent. “I guess she tells you about trivia! Like for example, did you know there are three different stages of non-REM sleep? Did you know that, Dreamer?” She must have gotten her vim back pretty quickly, because suddenly she was up in my face.<br/>
<br/>
“I…” Maybe I knew that at some point? It was all so fuzzy! I couldn’t remember at all. </p><p> </p><p>“Is that all of us?” Yuuka asked. Her tone made it clear that the question wasn’t genuine; it sounded like a tease.<br/>
<br/>
“I still haven’t gone. I’m Midori Saito. My talent is the Ultimate Voice Actor.” The girl speaking seemed like she had wanted to blend into the background. Her voice was rhythmical and sounded practiced. “If we’re spending any more time together, I don’t plan to be as much of a pushover as I was in that… other world. I can’t believe I was convinced to climb that mountain for no reason…” </p><p> </p><p>“Right, the mountain.” Chiasa began. “<em> Heeeeey!!” </em>a different voice cut in.</p><p> </p><p>That bear creature waddled up from behind us. A little bit behind it on the trail, I could faintly see some others approaching.</p><p> </p><p>“I <em> told </em> you bastards to keep quiet about that world and just get to know each other! Jeez! A bear <em> tries </em>to give some life saving advice and here you go ignoring me! I hope this isn't how you treat your parents, or they'll be happy you're gone!" It had extended it's claws from rounded, cartoonish paws.</p><p> </p><p>"So you did… take us somewhere, or something?" Nikou asked.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, do you think you're in your house?" asked the bear. </p><p> </p><p>"Shut the fuck up and give us a straight answer to something for once!" They clenched a fist and looked ready to land a haymaker on the small creature, but it yelled in as much anger as I think could be forced into such a caricature of a voice.</p><p> </p><p>"Lay a finger on me, and I will <em> kill </em> you."</p><p> </p><p>That stopped Nikou in their tracks.</p><p> </p><p>"I didn't think I'd have to pull out the rules so early, but alright! You unruly kids are gonna have to hear exactly how this goes before you've even met everyone." the bear continued. The anger had switched to relative glee quickly. As the bear continued, the silhouettes had finally caught up with us, looking exhausted from running. There were eight people in the new group, who assimilated into our own circle to hear this creature speak.</p><p> </p><p>"Welcome to this stunningly beautiful nature reserve, with over 30,000 acres of untamed wilds! Plenty of natural life roams this reserve, including me, Monokuma! I'll be your guide on this Class Hike.</p><p> </p><p>The very first rule of this trip is that you <em> can't bring harm to the Guide. </em> Any hikers who try to will be promptly punished."</p><p> </p><p>He paused to see how we were reacting so far. All of us were staring back at him without a sound.</p><p> </p><p>"The second rule is that hikers can't leave the campsite after 6:00 pm or before 8:00 am. I need to be able to keep an eye on you all so you stay safe!" he continued.</p><p> </p><p>"The third rule is that we cannot make room for layabouts on this trip! There will be a distance quota you have to meet each day. Any hikers who don't make their distance in a day will be punished."</p><p> </p><p>The way he kept saying 'punished' was starting to concern me. What was the punishment?</p><p> </p><p>"Fourth!" He slowed down his speech here, as if to tell us that this was the important part. Or maybe he was just wanting to savor this part. "Your distance quota will increase each day. The only way to reset your quota…"</p><p> </p><p>I could feel my muscles tensing.</p><p> </p><p>"...is to kill someone."</p><p> </p><p>What? My throat closed. Some of the other kids started to banter for a moment, before that awful bear shut it down with another yell.</p><p> </p><p>"<em> Goodness, </em> am I teaching preschoolers or something? Keep quiet when your guide is talking! Now, let me be clear. If a killing happens, then all students will have their quotas reset. Then, all the students will work together to figure out who-dunnit! If they point their fingers correctly, then you'll be punished. Buuut, if not, then the killer gets to continue the hike unabated. Their identity won't even be revealed!"</p><p> </p><p>"Is the punishment death?" asked Chiasa.</p><p> </p><p>"Aren't you astute?" Monokuma said in response. </p><p> </p><p>The panic amongst the group was tangible. Even I had started to be swept up in fear. A small voice in the back of my head told me that death shouldn't mean anything to me. I had no memories, no life to lose if I died. However, my survival instinct must have been too strong to consider logic.</p><p> </p><p>"But there's even better news!" Monokuma continued with the rules. "I'll be giving you all a secret <em> target color. </em> If you kill the hiker whose avatar was that color in your group, and you avoid being caught, then the hike will end entirely and the killer can go home! Take a nice load off! Although, in that scenario, all the remaining hikers will be punished… What a shame!" He cackled again, the kind of cackle that really made you want to break the first rule.</p><p> </p><p>It all felt so… inevitable. It was like our defeat had already occured, and now we just had to watch it play out.</p><p> </p><p>"Anyways, kiddos, today you'll have to hike about a mile out from here and meet me in a nice, idyllic little clearing where we'll set up camp for the night. Seeee you later!" The bear walked into a bush and disappeared.</p><p> </p><p>I had been stunned into effective silence. I was unable to reign my mind into focus. </p><p> </p><p>"What… do we do?" Ethan asked.</p><p> </p><p>"I, uh… I guess we walk." I offered. That suggestion didn't seem to be popular, judging by everyone's faces.</p><p> </p><p>"Maybe we should introduce our groups to each other then?" Mayoko said. It already seemed, despite how little we actually knew each other, that we had a much stronger connection to our initial group than to these newcomers. </p><p> </p><p>"Here, how about we introduce ourselves as we get going?" offered one of the newcomers. "I'll start. My name is Yukiharu Sonoda." </p><p> </p><p>There was a moment of expectation before Chiasa broke the silence. "Do you all not have Ultimate skills?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, most of us do," said a different boy, "but apparently he's forgotten his."</p><p> </p><p>"I know that I have one. I just can't remember it." said Yukiharu with slight frustration.</p><p> </p><p>"Anyways, I'm Hatsuyo Arato. I'm the Ultimate Game Master. Hopefully we can start a game together. A real game, that is, and not this farce." The boy talked over the guy without a talent. </p><p> </p><p>"Let's get moving as we talk." Yukiharu reminded us. Resigned to the situation, I began to plod along the path, and soon I found that everyone else was following suit, if reluctantly. </p><p> </p><p>The trail was fairly easy to follow. The ground was flat and the path was clearly marked and wide, so our hike wasn’t incredibly taxing. Even the weather was nice. As we kept moving, the introductions continued.</p><p> </p><p>“You can call me Tsukiko Makino… I <em> think </em> that’s my name. I’m… agh, this is so dumb.” He bit his lip as if he didn’t want to admit his talent.<br/>
<br/>
“My talent sucks too, so it’s okay. I won’t laugh.” Mayoko told him.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright. I’m just… the Ultimate. Like, I’m just Ultimate. There’s no qualifier. I don’t think that’s really true, of course…” Tsukiko trailed off.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, and I thought <em> you </em> were arrogant.” Yuuka poked at Akikazu. “This guy thinks he’s the Ultimate <em> everything? </em>” </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t- I’m not better than you! I bet I just don’t remember right.” Tsukiko reacted sharply. “I just woke up and all… the right answer will come.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, I didn't mean to hurt you...” Yuuka said. Tsukiko ignored it and kept walking.</p><p> </p><p>For a while, there was some apprehension in the air as we walked in silence. After a few minutes of just staring at the scenery, not daring to push any further, another of the newcomers started to speak.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Misato Okano. I’m the Ultimate Psychiatrist. Since this means that I should know or recall some techniques to aid our memories, I will be doing my best to take a leadership role along our journey."</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, fun fact!” Mayoko cut in. “A psychiatrist is qualified to prescribe medicine, while a psychologist can’t. That's the difference!" </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, wait… So a teenager can be qualified to give medicine?” Nikou asked.</p><p> </p><p>“I tell you what I know. For now, that’s the title of Ultimate Psychiatrist. I believe no one here is really up to date on their memories, yes?” Misato held out a hand in a rhetorical gesture. </p><p> </p><p>The conversation ceased once more.</p><p> </p><p>“Is no one else going to introduce themselves?” Ethan asked. </p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, but now that we know… what’s going on, I don’t really want to share my identity with you all.” said one of the girls.</p><p> </p><p>“I agree with that…” said Midori. “But in the interest of keeping it fair, I’ll tell you that I’m Midori Saito, the Ultimate Voice Actor.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm… Fairness. Okay.” started the girl. “In that case, I’m Kimiko Oye. I’m the Ultimate Mathematician. That’s the information I gave to everyone else. I’ll have to make myself scarce after this, so I hope you understand.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yeah! We need to introduce ourselves too.” I realized. At my prompt, everyone else in our initial eight introduced ourselves in order, including myself.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, now we have to finish introducing our party too, right?” asked Hatsuyo. Unlike our group, however, the remainders didn’t seem to be volunteering.<br/>
<br/>
After we had waited expectantly for a moment, Hatsuyo let out a grunt. “Alright! If they aren’t introducing themselves, I’ll do it for ‘em!”</p><p> </p><p>First, he gestured to a woman in bleached overalls. “This is Katsumi Kita. She’s the Ultimate Laborer.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wish I wasn’t…” she mumbled. Her footsteps looked even more exhausted than ours.</p><p> </p><p>“This is the Ultimate Painter, Honami Satoya.” he continued. Her outfit was covered in paint splotches of all kinds, and her face was scrunched up in rage. </p><p> </p><p>“I hate art.” she said. “I’m not the Ultimate Painter! I fucking hate art!” </p><p> </p><p>“Ms. Satoya, please take a deep breath for me. Count to 10.” Misato commanded, with a kind yet clearly authoritative voice. </p><p> </p><p>“<em> Please leave me alone! </em>” Honami pulled her hands up and covered her eyes, walking with an intense force, like a military march.</p><p> </p><p>“... And last up, that’s Shizuka Taniguchi, the Ultimate Immunity.” Hatsuyo continued, blocking out Honami with his hand. “Whatever the hell that means.”<br/>
<br/>
Shizuka had on a sweater with sleeves that were much too long for him, giving him a demure, sweater paws look. “It means I have a very strong immune system… I won’t get sick or anything.”<br/>
<br/>
“Wow… That’s a pretty strong feat!” Nikou’s voice showed their obvious adoration. </p><p> </p><p>“So now we all know each other, right?” asked Chiasa. I nodded in assent, and I looked among the group to see if I knew everyone’s names, finding that I did.</p><p> </p><p>Looking at the trail ahead, I noticed that we were coming upon a clearing that truly appeared to be as beautiful as Monokuma had described it. Time had sped by during that hike. I suppose just a mile wasn’t too bad even at our casual pace, and getting to know each other took my attention away from watching my footsteps.</p><p> </p><p>As we arrived, I saw that bear creature twirling in a circle in the middle of a group of 16 collapsed tents. </p><p> </p><p>“He looks kinda like a Prinny!” said Yukiharu. I shot him an askance look, unsure what that meant.</p><p> </p><p>Entering the campsite, Monokuma began to speak. “Ding-ding-ding! Look at that, you all made it to the campsite! What a good first day with nature! I hope you’re all feeling ready to get close to that wild side of yourself. You kids are all so tied up with your Friendsters and your Farmvilles that you never see the beauties of the world! Aren’t you glad you’re here?”</p><p> </p><p>“I won’t walk another day in my life…” said Katsumi, sounding incredibly exhausted. </p><p> </p><p>Admittedly, the place was beautiful. A river rushed alongside the site, glittering against the sun, and running a beautiful crystal blue. Leaves fell from the trees, landing all about and creating a constant blur of colors in the air. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, go ahead and set up your tents! You’ll want to get them up before nightfall, because I haven’t got any flashlights for ya. Don’t want to be fumbling with poles in the dark, right? Unless you’re <em> into </em>that sorta thing~”</p><p> </p><p>Monokuma jumped into the river and disappeared. With that, I headed over to one of the tents. It appeared to be a fairly standard two person tent. On top of the supplies was an instruction manual for setup and a large framed backpack, which seemed to have some things in it. </p><p> </p><p>I worked on setting up the tent, heavily referencing my manual. It took some stretching and fighting with the two collapsible poles, but I was able to get it up. Once the tent was ready, I peeked into my backpack to get a cursory idea of what it held. Mine had a sleeping bag, some changes of clothes, some MRE style rations, and a pillow. </p><p> </p><p>Feeling set, I checked on the group. Ethan, Yukiharu, Mayoko, Tsukiko, and Nikou had already set up their tents. Everyone else was in various states of completion, except Katsumi, who was simply laying down on her unassembled tent. Curious, I walked over to her.<br/>
<br/>
“Do you want me to help out?” I asked her.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” she accepted, and stood up. At first, she simply held the poles at the corners as I set it up, but soon she was telling me how to get it done quickly and starting to get into it, helping out and getting the tent standing in incredible time. I slid her backpack into the completed shelter and clapped slightly, happy with our effort.</p><p> </p><p>“How productive.” she noted. Her normal playfully bored tone had shifted to a more serious one. “Good work, Kaoru.” She got into her tent and started rifling through her bag.</p><p> </p><p>I didn’t expect to feel so good about helping people, but now I was feeling pretty pumped, so I started looking around for someone else to assist. In the meantime of helping Katsumi, everyone besides Honami had finished and retired to their rooms, so I went to the only available target.</p><p> </p><p>“Want me to help you out?” I offered. Honami was wrestling with a pole, trying to stretch it to hold both ends.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t want your pity! Just because I can’t paint doesn’t mean I can’t do anything at all!” Still, she seemed to be having trouble, so I decided to hold one end of the pole firm so that it would bend properly. </p><p> </p><p>“Are you alright? Do you need to, like, talk?” I asked her. She set down the pole and looked at me.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m not an Ultimate, okay?! My talent is fake and I shouldn’t be here! I don’t deserve to be here and all I want is to be alone! I hate art and painting and tents!” She let it all out in one big breath of anger. Her face looked just a little more calm.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean… Who knows how real my or anyone else’s talent is? No one here remembers anything. This whole Ultimates racket could be entirely fake. It’s-” I paused, not sure how to keep going.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t want to be here…” she said, looking down and dropping her tent pole. </p><p> </p><p>“We’ll be alright… This murder thing is nonsense. We aren’t going to die. I mean, this place is so well kept, and clean. It has to be some kind of tourist spot. There’s no way they could just clear out all those tourists and the staff to keep them from saving us, right?” I was hoping my logic was sound, but in all honesty, I was trying to calm myself down as I started to get swept up in her same futile panic. </p><p> </p><p>“Look, maybe just… get some rest, alright?” I continued, my mind stabilizing. “And eat something, maybe. It’s been a long day.”</p><p> </p><p>We finished up with the tent, and then she crawled inside, biting her lip.</p><p> </p><p>The sun had begun to set, and everyone was inside their tents at this point. Stumbling my way back into my own dwelling, I set out my sleeping bag and pillow.</p><p> </p><p>I thought about how much risk I could be in… but then again, Monokuma hadn’t even told us our target colors yet. The hike hadn’t gotten too strenuous to be a real motive, right? Just because that evil creature mentioned a reason to kill didn’t mean anyone felt desperate enough to do it on the very first night… </p><p> </p><p>I pushed my backpack against the door. If anyone wanted to come in, they’d have to shove it aside first, which would hopefully alert me.</p><p> </p><p>Even with this protection measure in place, I didn’t quite feel secure enough for rest. I had thought taking solace in my dreams would be an easy feat for me, but I couldn’t manage to relax… </p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, I heard a voice talking outside my door. They sounded… ashamed? Scared? “Hey Kaoru?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?!” I didn’t open my door. Surely someone who meant harm wouldn’t introduce their arrival, but I couldn’t muster the bravery to do so.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s Nikou. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.” </p><p> </p><p>“What about?” I asked. “Did something happen, or…?”</p><p> </p><p>“I- you- What are your pronouns?” Nikou asked me from outside. I unzipped my window to look at them as we talked. That wasn’t what I expected.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t a question I had put thought to, but I knew the answer. Or remembered the answer? “I’m they-them. Non binary.” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh! That’s what I thought!” They sounded excited. I peered at Nikou with new curiosity. “I’m, ah, genderfluid. You’ll help me out with that, right?” </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. I’ll help you out however you want me to.” It almost felt like a non request. My answer felt obvious. </p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Kaoru!” Over all our time together today, I hadn’t ever heard Nikou sound this excited. All the anger had disappeared from their voice. I hadn’t realized it until now, but I had been afraid of Nikou coming here to punch me for something, a tension which was relieved from my body.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, so what are your pronouns then?” I asked back.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, he-him at the moment.” he replied.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, Nikou.”</p><p> </p><p>“See you in the morning!” He walked away from my tent, and I closed my window once more. I still kept my backpack against the door, but somehow, knowing I had someone who understood me in the group helped me sink into the realm of dreams a lot more comfortably.</p><p> </p><p>-PROLOGUE END-</p><p>
  <em> <strong> <span class="u">16 Students </span></strong><strong><span class="u">Remain</span> </strong> </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 1, Part 1: I'd Rather Be Lobbing Spells Than Fearing Death</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The second day brings new mysteries, including the beginning of Hatsuyo's game...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>I woke up with a cloudy, tired mind. Even though I had slept throughout the night, I still didn’t feel like I had gotten much rest. My back ached a bit from sleeping in the bag, but not nearly as much as it did when I woke up on the ground yesterday. I already felt hungry and thirsty, but fortunately enough for the first problem, I had saved yesterday’s ration. I’d probably enjoy it a lot more today. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before I’d opened my eyes, I performed a reality check by trying to push my fingers through my palms. My hands felt corporeal enough that this must be my waking life. I couldn’t remember any of the dreams that I’d had last night, so for an Ultimate Dreamer, I was not on the ball.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The inside of my tent was damp to the touch, and my backpack was fairly soaked in condensation. The sun shone through the fabric of the tent, illuminating my shelter. As I got ready for my day, I heard Monokuma yelling outside my tent. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Come on kids, it’s time to rise and shine! Get ready for another beautiful day with nature!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gwurgh. It seemed like I had a habit of waking up just before my alarm. I slid my backpack aside and crawled from my tent to see Monokuma do a kind of angry dance outside each tent. Slowly, everyone was coaxed out of their rooms and back into the middle of the clearing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Katsumi was last to rise, forcing the rest of us to wait in silence for her to finally leave her dwelling like a mama bear after hibernation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay, today should be fun!" Monokuma began once we were all congregated. "You'll be going on a four mile hike today. All you have to do is follow the trail! You kids can do that, right?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Besides the inherently discomforting voice of the small guide, everything else almost sounded normal. It was easy to believe I'd just misheard that one terrifying rule when the trip felt this easygoing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I worked really hard to get you kids those supplies, so take care of them!" he continued. "I'll be giving you some new rations at the site, but the rest of the stuff, you'll have to bring with you. I hear the weather might not be great tonight, so unless you'd rather be crying in the rain than sleeping in a tent, I suggest you kids get packed and ready to go quick!"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Monokuma." Misato began to speak.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes? How can I assist you?" The bear waddled closer to her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What time is it?" I wasn't sure why she would bother asking for an objective answer from this evil creature, whose words twisted and turned and never gave the truth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In response, the bear playfully craned his head up to the sun and gave a thoughtful "Hmmm… Looks like about 12:23."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"And you didn't wake us up until now?!" exclaimed Ethan.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Of course not!" said Monokuma with a sympathetic tone. "You're all growing kids who need to get some good rest! If I woke you up, it might just stunt your growth…"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"New question." Kimiko stepped towards Monokuma and looked down upon him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What's up now?" He imitated a valley girl hair flip.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"When are we receiving our targets?" she asked, deadpan.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>My blood froze in my veins. I didn't want to think about this. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to tune it out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"If you make it to today's site, I'll treat you to your targets! How's that sound?" He didn't wait for a response. "Now, you guys have 5 hours and 36 minutes left, so you better get packed!" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Monokuma went for a swim in the river and left. I briefly considered following suit and drinking the rushing water, but I realized there was no way that stuff was clean. Ugh. I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>already</span>
  </em>
  <span> so desperate for a drink that it almost seemed worth it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>My hunger from not having eaten last night was also starting to get to me, so I grabbed my ration and swore to myself that I would eat it as soon as we had hit the road. Feeling a bit more determined, I fought with my tent to get it back into it's easy carry bag. Mayoko had simply given up and tied the tent fabric around her like a very long robe, and stowed the poles in her bag. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I got my stuff all together by myself, but I was one of the last to do so. Ethan, Tsukiko, Hatsuyo, and Akikazu had been going around helping get everyone else set to go, but from watching them, it seemed pretty clear Ethan was doing most of the actual work. Hatsuyo in particular seemed to just be talking to the other three as they got the campsite clean.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright, are we all packed up?" asked Chiasa, checking the group. Despite our disorganized locations about the site, it seemed like all our belongings had made their way into our framed backpacks. Now I just had to get this thing on.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I buckled the pack across my chest and hips with some help from Ethan, grunting as I began to walk with the extra weight. We spent a bit more time getting organized and ready to go, and then we started down the trail.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Today's walk shouldn't need to be rushed." Chiasa said. "We've got at least 4 hours to go 4 miles. It might not be as simple as yesterday, but we shouldn't need to run or anything. I’m thinking we’ll want to conserve our energy anyways."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Good!" said Ethan. "Since we won't need to overexert ourselves, we can use this hike to become closer friends. Cause I was thinking, as long as we got to know each other, that could dissuade someone from…" His expression darkened and he looked troubled. I caught the gist of what he was saying even without finishing his sentence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, but on that note, I know the perfect way to get closer and pass some time." added Hatsuyo. "See, in my pack I found a rulebook for the first edition of Dice and Deathtraps. So it's like this really fun roleplaying game that I spent all of last night drafting out an adventure for and I also wrote some characters for you guys and I remembered the rules after reading all 395 pages of the rulebook and I really think we should play together!" His normal disaffected tone had disappeared; when he sounded that excited, it really made me want to take a character. However, something bugged me a little about what he said…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Wait, you just… had a book in your pack?" I asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I had a list of vocal exercises in my pack," Midori started from the back of the hiking line, "so I don't find it suspicious that he would have something related to his talent in his pack."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I glanced back at her. "Huh, really? I didn't get anything about my talent in my bag…" I said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, I didn't either." Yukiharu suddenly blurted out, talking fast. "I was hoping I would get something that would remind me of my talent, but I guess we both got hit by the same mistake or something." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I guess it makes sense that you didn't get anything, Kaoru." Yuuka said with a bit of a laugh. "I mean, what do you give a Dreamer, a pillow?!"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, wait. "Did you guys </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>get a pillow? I did." I offered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I didn't get any pillows! My neck still hurts like hell." said Mayoko. "Oh, but did you know that pillows gain weight as they're used thanks to dead skin cells and sweat?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Eugh. What a disgusting fact." Akikazu said with a shake of the head. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I- Hey, when my only skill is to know trivia, I have to share trivia. I didn't mean to be useless." She replied, looking down at the ground. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Mayoko, you aren't useless. I feel like it would help you to remember that we appreciate you, so don't give credence to those thoughts. I really didn't know that!" Misato spoke. Despite her professional, even tone, she also sounded legitimately interested. "I'll need to remember to change my pillows when I get home." she 'mumbled,' loud enough that Mayoko could hear. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"At any rate, I'm more concerned with Yukiharu. You told us that you had nothing related to your talent in your pack when Kaoru first told us they didn't… But now that we know that they did in fact get a talent gift, it casts a lot more doubt on you considering you also haven't shared anything you remembered of your Ultimate skill." Misato looked skeptically at Yukiharu, waiting for him to answer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His face looked very panicked. “I- I wasn’t lying!” He immediately stopped walking, cast off his pack and put his face in it, digging around it’s contents. “All I got were the sleeping bag, the rations, and new clothes!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He started to push around the stuff to show us that there was nothing more in the bag, but as the last set of clothes moved aside, a heap of paper scraps lay at the bottom.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yuuka reached in and fished out a scrap. It was a piece of paper shaped something like a pizza slice, with a small dotted line near the circular edge. Looking through Yukiharu’s pack, each scrap appeared to be identical to the one she held. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are these?” Yukiharu asked, looking through the sheets of paper. “I don’t- I don’t know what these are!” His voice was trembling.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright.” Misato was dismissive. Why was she done pressing him now? “You can put your pack back on.” He scrambled to get his things secured around his waist, and we kept moving. Yuuka kept her piece of paper, looking at it more closely.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, so who wants to join the game?” Hatsuyo continued, as if nothing else had happened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll play.” offered Katsumi. She had been lagging a few paces behind the back of the group, but she walked a little faster now to catch up with the Ultimate Game Master.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I do…” started Shizuka. “But, I don’t know the rules or anything. Maybe I should just watch?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, come on, it’s easy. I even have a character for you.” Hatsuyo reached behind himself while walking, reaching into a half open pocket to reveal a stack of papers, scrawled upon with messy handwriting. He paged through them quickly before handing one over to the meek boy. “You’re Erwin, a human Knight.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shizuka hesitantly accepted the sheet of paper and looked it over as Hatsuyo kept talking. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I made one for everyone here yesterday. Here’s yours, Katsumi. You’ll be Lilac, the Arcanist.” She snatched her character sheet with a vigor I’d never seen from her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m in! Sounds like a different kinda way to get close.” Ethan said. He received Sirius, the Survivalist.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...Don’t you make your own characters in these games?” asked Yukiharu.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, usually, but no one here remembers how to play yet. So I saved us some time and made these. I gave them all unique strands of plot and everything.” Hatsuyo answered, with a smug air that showed he was proud of setting this up. “What do you even know about Dice and Deathtraps anyways? I thought you didn’t remember anything.” He gave a sarcastically questioning glance to Yukiharu.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you guys let it go?!” he replied. “I just don’t remember! I don’t like to yell, but… why does it matter?!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No one had an answer for him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So I made fifteen characters, and only three players?” Hatsuyo forced the conversation back his way. I’d only been half listening to the conversation from dehydrated delirium, but I made my decision.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll play.” I offered. He gave me a character sheet for Alva, the Spellblade. Their personality was cold and disaffected, and they had a very in depth backstory which included some terms I wasn’t sure of the meaning for. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you’re in, I’ll play too.” Nikou spoke and joined us towards the back of the cluster. He was given Damien the Brigand. Watching his expression, he seemed a little cut by the class assignment.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As no one else volunteered, Hatsuyo began explaining the rules, but I found my mind quickly losing focus as he showed us charts and tables, and instead drifting to food. I had left my ration at the campsite when I was packing up, and now I had nothing to eat </span>
  <em>
    <span>or </span>
  </em>
  <span>drink. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I tuned in for a moment when I noticed everyone had stopped to gather around Honami, who was pulling small plastic water bottles out of her pack. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop complaining! Take the water! I got them for some shitty watercolors that I won’t even use!” Yuuka got the first water, then the remaining bottles went around the group. For whatever reason, Yukiharu, Misato, and Ethan already had water bottles, but the gift was very valuable to the rest of us. I quickly started downing the water while taking a seat, cherishing the break. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you really need this much water for a watercolor set? It seems more like you stole our bottles to try and kill us.” Kimiko said. “I’m not saying you did, but you see how this looks? You withheld this until we all felt like we were dying. Why?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you think I did that?!” Honami spat back. “I was just given this fucking water I don’t know I dunno anything that’s going on here why would I want to kill you?!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kimiko, what the hell is wrong with you? The only times you talk are to divide us or to learn more about </span>
  <em>
    <span>killing each other! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Quit it or I’ll punch the shit out of you!” Nikou yelled above everyone, raising a fist. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m treating this like the situation it is. How do you want to survive if you don’t even know the threat?” Kimiko stared down Nikou, and he lowered his arm and looked at the ground.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>We were all silent for a moment, stunned by the question. Meekly, a voice began to speak from behind me, picking up volume as it went. “Should I continue explaining the rules?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The trail continuing from here had much the same sights as I had seen yesterday, and what seemed originally like beautiful wilderness now seemed like a banal line. It was flat, easy land to hike, and now that I had some water it felt much easier to keep going and keep listening, though my hunger still gnawed at me.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I only had a vague grasp on the rules when Hatsuyo announced that we were now ready to play. We all had a confused stupor on our faces as he began to explain his custom setting, referencing a different stack of scrawl. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The world sounded incredibly interesting and pretty well thought out, with all sorts of unique magic and factions and things. It was complex, but good. His descriptions were long winded, but they made me want to explore his world.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As he was explaining the village we would start in, Ethan nudged me and began to whisper. “You look pretty hungry… You lost your meal, right? Here, have my ration.” He slipped me an unopened bag which looked identical to the kit I had lost. I eagerly took it from his hands, but then I looked up at him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it really okay for me to have this?” I asked. “What will you eat?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He simply flashed me a grin and replied, “I’m the Ultimate Tourist! I bet I went hiking all the time, so I can hold it together until we reach the next camp.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I opened the bag to find cold, uncooked spaghetti, not trail mix. You had to use the included heater with water to cook it. I really should have just eaten last night. Still, I was feeling ravenous enough to eat the dry noodles, so I resumed listening to Hatsuyo blather on as I picked away at the edible parts.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The front half of the group had been having their own discussions. I hadn’t been listening, too enthralled by our game master’s storytelling abilities, until Chiasa began to yell towards us. “Yuuka had a new idea to keep us safe, so listen up everyone!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>We all looked towards the fencer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, so I was thinking that we’re all probably the most vulnerable when we’re alone. So I thought up a buddy system! Everyone has to have their buddy around at all times, even at night in the tents. If someone </span>
  <em>
    <span>bites it</span>
  </em>
  <span>, then the assigned buddy of the killer will have seen everything and can report the attack. If no one can witness, then it must have been the buddy who did it.” She gave a look that showed her assurance in her genius.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, so I’ll assign the groups-” Chiasa began.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t even give us a chance to approve of the idea, Fukunaga.” Midori said, with some contempt in her voice. “I don’t want to be put with someone I can’t trust.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chiasa glared back at her. “Alright, who else has a problem with the idea then?” Yuuka had started to shrink away from the conversation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I thought the concept was sound enough, but I wasn’t sure if I liked how quickly the Ultimate Jeweler had taken charge of assigning our partners. No one else spoke against the idea, though some seemed to have objections on their faces.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Midori shrugged. “Alright, go ahead. Who are our partners?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I tried to put you guys with your friends, if I knew you had any. Go ahead and get next to your partners as I call them.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yuuka will be partnered with Akikazu,” Chiasa continued.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two looked between each other and nodded in agreement.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yukiharu will be partnered with Mayoko,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Trivia Genius looked quizzically at her partner, who stared back with a strange smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hatsuyo will be partnered with Katsumi,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Laborer had fallen about 20 paces behind just in the time Yuuka had started talking about her idea. Hatsuyo looked around for her for a moment before deciding to go back and find her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ethan will be partnered with Shizuka,” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ethan gave a thumbs-up and moved to meet his partner in the group, who had started to clasp his hands together nervously.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kaoru will be partnered with Nikou,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Did Chiasa know that Nikou was trying to be my friend? I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to get closer to such a short-tempered and violent person, but I did say I would support him, so... </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Brawler looked at me with a smile. “Cool.” He had already been standing close to me while we were talking about Hatsuyo’s game, so we didn’t change our spots in the formation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, Tsukiko began to yell, a desperate guttural cry. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please don’t put me with Misato!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chiasa flinched a bit from the interruption. “Uh… I wasn’t. Don’t worry. I’m partnered with Misato.” Chiasa was already standing next to the Psychiatrist, who was looking at the ground, deep in thought, as if she wasn’t listening at all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tsukiko, you’ll be with Midori.” The sigh of relief from the mysterious Ultimate was deep as he moved closer to his new partner. Midori gave him a mumbled “Hello, Makino.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Finally, uh… I guess Honami will be with Kimiko.” Chiasa finished the list.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Neither of them moved.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s all I have for you-” Chiasa said, before tripping face-first over a root hidden beneath fallen leaves. She quickly scrambled to her feet and assured us she was fine as she directed us with scratched palms to keep walking. Her fall had startled me, but as long as she was fine, I chose not to worry too hard. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Our partners had been assigned in such a way that the gaming group could still convene together without splitting up any of the partnerships, but Hatsuyo and Katsumi were far enough behind that talking with them had become impossible until they caught up. Besides, I was feeling pretty fatigued at this point. I could appreciate some time in my mind. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I’d drained the bag of uncooked noodles of all it’s easily edible contents, so I gripped the remaining trash in my fist, preparing to just toss it out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey.” Ethan had turned around and was watching me while walking backwards. “Don’t litter... ‘Take only photos, leave only footprints,’ y’know?” I chose to heed his words and keep clutching the used bag until I found time to put it in my pack.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Not done, he pulled a small disposable camera from the satchel at his side. “And speaking of photos, gimme a smile, ok?” He grinned and pointed the lens towards us. The camera had an instant print feature, making a nice group photo of Ethan, myself, Shizuka, and Nikou. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The remainder of the hike was made in general quietude as the sun started to set ahead of us. I’d already finished off my water bottle and I could feel my thirst returning, so I was hoping the target destination would be found soon. Worse, I had no way of knowing how far we’d come, and the fear of not making it in time was setting in.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>All I had to do was focus myself off of this. Step forward. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck it. You have to run! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Keep on moving. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Leave them behind and go! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Another trudging step. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Although, if I stay, how much danger could I be in?</span>
  </em>
  <span> My steps grew lighter. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That bear has yet to back up his threats… how could he hurt us all together? We're probably near to the next site anyways .. where he'll give us those targets. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The intrusive thoughts returned. Another step as my heart beat faster. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I should try the opposite tactic and just focus on the steps, as opposed to what I did on the mountain. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Up, down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Huh, the mountain. What was that prize, anyways? Maybe it was the talent items? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Up, down. Up, down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Or maybe it's the targets. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Up. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, no, no! Quit it! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You can't defend yourself. Someone smarter has figured out the colors and will come after you and you can't defend yourself and you will die here-</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No! I stared aggressively at the ground. </span>
  <b>UP. DOWN. </b>
  <em>
    <span>YOU'RE GOING TO DIE </span>
  </em>
  <b>UP. DOWN. UP. DOWN.</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I put my hands to my forehead, trying to shake off my brain. </span>
  <b>UP! DOWN! UP! DOWN!</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>My forces, angry focus was finally broken after some time by a brighter spot down the trail, illuminating my rapidly darkening surroundings. I saw Nikou breaking into a sprint to reach the light, and I followed suit. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>We arrived only a moment before the others to a blazing campfire, with the diminutive Monokuma keeping the embers alive.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You made it! 30 minutes before your deadline, even! Look where a little elbow grease can get you. Assuming you didn't handstand your way here, 'cuz the secret to that is actually to hold your elbows straight." Monokuma blathered his usual nonsense. "Go ahead and have a seat by the fire, so we can have a class meeting."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I sat, crossed legs, onto the dirt. After having spent who knows how much of that hike fearing his retribution, I was quick to obey. By my seat, I had been left a new MRE. Beef stroganoff. I’d better make sure to cook this one.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As the group began piling in, with Hatsuyo and Katsumi arriving last by a sizable margin, they were all given the directive to crowd around the fire and grab their meal. Everyone obeyed their guide’s order.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Welcome to tonight’s campfire! One of the great joys of nature is to burn it down, wouldn’t you agree?” Our weary expressions gave Monokuma no big reactions.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, fine, I won’t waste your time. Who’s ready to receive their </span>
  <em>
    <span>targets?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he continued. I bit my lip. I wasn’t. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve drawn up cute little index cards with colors on them. If you can figure out who was in your group and had this color, you can kill them for a chance to win a luxurious trip back to your normal life!” I tried to process his words individually. I didn’t want to think about this.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I encourage you to toss your card into the fire once you’ve seen it. You wouldn’t want anyone to know who you’re hunting, or they might get suspicious…” The bear began to waddle around the fire like a caricature, passing out small, rectangular scraps of paper. When I received mine, I noticed it was slicked and damp. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mayoko threw her card into the flame the second she got it, not even flipping it to see her target. As the card began to light, the fire blazed with fervent energy for a few seconds before returning to its original burn.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>While I appreciated the gesture, I found myself too curious not to look at my target. With twitching hands, I flipped my card. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>My target was red.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wait, what? I almost asked Monokuma about what this meant for me, but I decided to hold my tongue. I'd have to find a more private moment to learn more.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Soon, all the cards were in the fire, causing the blazes to flicker a little beyond the rock circle that was keeping it confined. I backed away a few feet, already starting to overheat.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright kids, you'd better get started with your planning! And don't stay up too late, or you'll hibernate away your whole day! And we both know what happens then~"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Monokuma threw himself into the fire, feeding the flames further as they licked at his cotton insides, leaving behind a small metal skeleton.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I looked around the group, trying to figure out how to react to our guide’s apparent self-immolation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s more of them. I believe it’s just an avatar for the true mastermind of this trial.” Misato clarified for us. “Ethan and I found a waterlogged doll in the river he lept in earlier.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“On the topic of water… I was given pots and pans as my talent items, despite not being an actual cook. Since this campsite also intersects with the river, I believe we could use these to collect and boil river water to purify it, creating a potable water source.” Akikazu said, pulling out the cooking items. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fortunately, we didn’t have to stray too far from the fire to get the pots filled with water, so our path to and from was illuminated. Together, we each tended to the fire and the boiling water, and after some time, we had all filled our bottles and prepped our rations.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>We had a few near-disasters, like Chiasa almost dropping the full pot over the fire, but when we worked together so efficiently, we were able to avert the disasters and finish fairly quickly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As we sat around eating, Nikou began to speak. “Do you think Monokuma is watching us now?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How else could he enforce the rule that we have to stay in the campsite at night?” Chiasa pointed out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But if he’s guarding the outskirts of the campsite, he can’t hear us, right?” Nikou clarified.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This fire is pretty loud…” Shizuka added with a mumble.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We can hardly even hear Mister Mucinex over it!” Yuuka shouted with a laugh. “Not that we could hear him the rest of the time.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Th-that’s not even clever...” he replied.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re right! I’ll find you a funnier nickname!” Yuuka said, putting her chin in her hand in thought.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, so I probably won’t be caught saying this then…” Nikou continued. “Fuck this bear shit’s rules! We’re on such a massive hike, we could surely find an escape if we break off the trail! I say we do that instead!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, fun fact… If you’re lost in the woods, the best thing to do is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>abandon the trail. That’s how you get </span>
  <em>
    <span>more </span>
  </em>
  <span>lost.” Mayoko muttered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“D-dumbass!” Honami yelled. “There’s not an escape! All we can do is keep running! We don’t know anything about how we got here, we’re basically already dead!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Shut the fuck up!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nikou spat back and stood to his feet. “How can you give up like that?! No one is perfect! The mastermind must have made a mistake!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I suppose, as his partner, it fell to me to reign him in. “Nikou, sit down! You didn’t want us to be divided, but you’re yelling right now!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He sat back down, a few feet away from me and the rest of the circle. “I’m sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Although, if we don’t find a way out soon, Monokuma will kill us, right? I’m not exactly sure what else our win condition could be.” Hatsuyo said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The ‘win condition’ we’ve been given is obvious. We’re supposed to be killing each other. That’s the escape.” Kimiko muttered. God, did she </span>
  <em>
    <span>enjoy </span>
  </em>
  <span>being foreboding? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“There won’t be any killing…” Misato said, her tone determined. “We still have tomorrow to figure things out. For today, I ask you to not stray from the trail yet. If an escape is to be found, we can’t hedge our lives so deeply on a mere possibility.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was nothing more to be said. We finished our dinners and began to set up our tents, leaving the fire burning so we could see what we were doing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone seemed to be obeying the buddy system, having chosen to use one tent to hold two people and one to hold two backpacks. My tent was the one we chose to hold Nikou and I. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Our desperation to end this exhausting day drove us to get our shelter set up quickly. I grabbed my pillow and sleeping bag from my pack, then slid my bag into Nikou’s tent. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I didn’t speak with him that night. I had wanted to support him, but his temperament was too big of a barrier to any further friendship.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As I began to drift asleep, a thought crossed my mind. I still hadn’t remembered any of my dreams. Was I really an Ultimate Dreamer? Trying to test myself, I rested on my back in an attempt to preemptively induce a lucid dream. If I was who I remembered being, this should be easy. Then again, my memories had so far proven to be less than reliable...</span>
</p>
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